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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Barrett Don't Run: Pass the Ball and Endorse Doug La Follette

You are not listening.

Tom Barrett spent yesterday with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel raising funds from lobbyists. That's right, yesterday Barrett cozied up to out-of-state lobbyists with big pockets to get financial support for a potential run for governor. The likely reason Barrett hasn't announced a run for governor yet is so that he can rake in the special interest dough using this loophole.

Enough with the special interests! It's not just Walker's special interests we don't like, it's your special interests, too. Wisconsin is sick of our politicians listening to special interests instead of their constituents, and that's one of the reasons many people are fighting to recall Walker. We need campaigns that are run for the people funded by the people.

You're not listening!

This is not what thousands of us stood vigilant inside and outside the Capitol and later collected recall signatures in the cold, snow and rain for last year. This is one of our strongest nonpartisan critiques of Walker, i.e., one of the ways we can win over independents and defeat Walker. How do you propose fighting Walker on these issues when you're doing the exact same thing? You can't!

I wrote about Kathleen Falk's troubles with special interests two weeks ago, and two days ago the respected and witty blogger Giles Goat Boy, for the same reasons, asked Falk and Barrett to "pass the damn ball!"

As Doug La Follette said yesterday, "I am very saddened that this magnificent effort, this historic effort, this real people’s democracy was hijacked by the same-old, same-old big money politics that we thought we had rejected."

Russ Feingold's Progressives United feels the same way. “Up until now, the only beneficiary of ominous super PAC support was Gov. Scott Walker. Regrettably, as well intentioned as Wisconsin for Falk no doubt is, the impact it will have on the recall election will almost certainly be to undermine, not bolster, the chances of successfully replacing Scott Walker as governor.”

What's worse is that Rahm Emanuel has his own public education controversy in Chicago, potentially severely degrading the quality of education in poor districts. We want a governor who will listen to the people of Wisconsin, not simply make drastic changes without the knowledge and support from those who know most. Does Barrett agree with Emanuel's actions?

It only gets worse for those two. Falk is heading to Chicago on Friday for a fundraiser called “Chicago Stands with Falk." We don't need Chicago politics in Wisconsin. We need Wisconsin politics in Wisconsin.

What do you offer that Kathleen Falk doesn't? There doesn't appear to be anything after yesterday. Do everyone a favor and stay out.

We already have the "not in bed with unions" candidate, and that's Doug La Follette. He's a much stronger sell because he doesn't take any money from corporations or special interests. You clearly do, just as Walker and Falk. Where you split with unions, you split for other special interests.

We can win this and take Wisconsin back for the people with a campaign funded solely by the people, because we won't be able to compete with Walker's over $12 million war chest and his out-of-state Super PAC friends. Neither Falk nor Barrett's Super PAC and special interest friends have anything close to that amount of money. So, why bother with all of the trouble?

Feingold argues that Democratic candidates can win by rejecting special interest money and building more energy and support by being the people-funded candidate. We can have enough money to run a viable campaign if everyone who signed a petition gave $20 to such a gubernatorial candidate. The Wisconsin People's Legislature also supports this idea as part of their Tin Cup Platform, and they are pushing all recall candidates to run on it.

Start listening.

You clearly don't want this bad enough, or you would have jumped in long ago. Instead of jumping in and muddying the waters, most likely resulting in at least two negative primary campaigns, I implore you to endorse Doug La Follette. His platform appears to be the most inline with yours, and I believe La Follette is our best chance at defeating Walker and then moving Wisconsin forward as quickly as possible. I suspect that Feingold will endorse La Follette before too long for his stance on special interests, if he endorses anyone before the primary.

The time to get in has passed. Those with the confidence and motivation to run have already announced, and you don't offer anything new. It's time to choose who you will endorse. If you run, the grassroots of Wisconsin will fight you and Falk, because you're not what we're fighting for. But with your support, we can defeat Falk and Walker. Do Wisconsin a solid and endorse Doug La Follette - Governor.

Anyone who's been following this blog knows that I believe Doug La Follette is the candidate most able to defeat Walker and then move Wisconsin FORWARD. It was the first Governor La Follette that gave us the ability to recall politicians, now Wisconsin needs another Governor La Follette to give the state back to the people. (Clearly they're different people, and Doug doesn't necessarily have the same views as Fighting Bob, it's just name play.)

If you don't know much about Doug La Follette, or even if you think you know him, I urge you to look into the candidate. You can read more about our Secretary of State Doug La Follette on his website douglafollette.com and Meet the Walker Recall Candidates: Doug La Follette by Dane101. There is also a recent WisEye interview that really gives you a sense of La Follette and what he stands for.

Unlike Scott Walker, Kathleen Falk, and Tom Barrett; La Follette doesn't take money from corporations or special interest groups. He runs a campaign for the people funded by the people. So your support in this effort is all the more essential, and as always, he greatly appreciates it. If you'd like to contribute to his campaign, you can donate online at ActBlue or send donations to his office at 1211 Rutledge #3, Madison, WI 53703. I include this because I personally believe Doug La Follette is what Wisconsin is looking for, and I want him to get as much support as possible, as soon as possible.